Emergency Preparedness Training
For life threatening emergencies, call 911.
Please see the versions below and select the session that is appropriate for you.
Faculty and Staff
Emergency Preparedness for Faculty and Staff
Welcome to Middlebury College and welcome to Emergency Preparedness Training.
This session is an education and preparedness program for Middlebury faculty and staff.
The college’s Emergency Operations Plan is a multi-hazard emergency plan that guides the college’s response to any type of emergency.
The Emergency Operations Plan is supported by three emergency teams.
These are the Crisis Management team, the Emergency Management Team and the Threat Assessment Management Team.
The Crisis Management Team is made up of members from senior leadership, and they oversee the other two teams and are responsible for policy and strategic leadership during an emergency.
The Emergency Management Team is a larger team made up of staff members responsible for operational management during an emergency.
The third team. The Threat and Assessment Management Team is a select group of trained professionals who are able to receive, analyze and respond sensitively to reports of concerning behavior, particularly behavior that may pose a threat to our community.
Team members are trained in emergency response and participate in exercises throughout the year that simulate various emergency situations.
These exercises test the emergency plan and the skills of the team members.
The third component of the Emergency Operations Plan is the Emergency Notification System.
In the event of an emergency, the college would activate the emergency notification system to communicate with the community.
Middlebury’s emergency notification system includes the Rave messaging system and MiddAlert.
The Rave messaging system sends alerts to the community via text, phone and email.
MiddAlert displays emergency messages directly on the Middlebury homepage.
MiddAlert is hosted by Google and is independent of the college’s IT infrastructure.
Part of emergency preparedness is conducting a risk assessment.
Risk assessments take into account the probability of an event occurring, as well as the consequences of having such an event occur.
Examples of some higher probability emergencies that have occurred at Middlebury and may occur again are fires, weather related events, illness or pandemic, and extended utility outages.
One scenario that has a much lower probability of occurring is an active threat situation, also called armed threat or active shooter.
Although there is a low probability of an active threat occurring in our community, the consequences of such an event are severe.
Therefore, preparedness for this threat is essential.
An important part of emergency preparedness is having your own personal safety plan.
Everyone should have a personal safety plan. This will ensure that you will be able to stay calm in an emergency because you will feel prepared.
First, it is important that you’re familiar with the resources that are available to you.
The college has protocols for many emergency situations, and these can be found on Middlebury’s Emergency response webpage.
Let’s take a quick tour so that you are comfortable locating this information.
One way to get to the emergency response page is to go to the bottom toolbar of Middlebury’s homepage and click on emergency.
On this emergency response page, the link stating what to do brings you to a list of active links with protocols for what to do in different types of emergencies.
Each of you on occasion should review these protocols so that they are familiar to you.
Back on the emergency response page, you will also find information about each of the emergency teams referred to earlier.
As mentioned earlier,
Rave is our emergency notification system and will be used to send messages to college community members in the event of an emergency.
It is essential that you keep your cell phone number up to date in Oracle in order to receive text messages and cell phone calls from the system.
Let’s review how to update your contact information within Oracle.
From the Middlebury homepage. Type the word oracle in the search bar at the top of the page.
Navigate to Oracle Cloud Services and go through your normal login procedures to access the Oracle site.
Once on the site, select the Personal Information tile, then select the Contact Info tile on this page under the communications section.
Update your cell phone and campus numbers as well as your campus email address.
All of these are synced with the Rave notification system.
Please note the Family and Emergency Contacts tile, where you can input information for those you want contacted in case of an emergency.
This information is not tied to rave whatsoever.
As part of your personal safety plan.
You should also know where the exits and emergency equipment are located, in the areas where you live, where you work, and where you spend your time.
Always be aware of two ways out. The primary exit is the one that is closest, and that gets you to the outside air as quickly as possible.
However, what if that exit were blocked? Always be aware of a backup or secondary exit when you go back to your living space or your work areas.
Also, take time to locate fire alarm pull stations, fire extinguishers, and medical supplies, including first aid kits and automated external defibrillators.
Also known as a AEDs, the college has over 20 AEDs located across campus in common areas.
Finally, you should program your cell phones with the public safety phone numbers.
The public safety emergency number is (802) 443-5911, and from any campus phone, you can simply dial the extension 5911.
If you have a non-emergency or you need to speak with someone in the department, please use Public Safety’s non-emergency number (802) 443-5133 or dial 5133 from any campus phone.
It is important for you to understand when to make a 911 call directly, versus when you should be using the public safety emergency number of 5911.
In general, you should call 911 immediately.
If you need outside response from the fire department, the police or medical responders.
For example, call 911 if you observe fire or smoke.
In this case, you should also be activating the fire alarm pull station as you exit the building.
Call 911 directly if medical attention is needed immediately.
For example, in the case of a cardiac arrest or some traumatic injury.
You would call 911 if you observe an act of violence occurring, or if you see someone carrying a weapon on campus.
You would call public safety using the 5911-emergency number for emergency issues where outside emergency response is not needed immediately.
For example, you could call 5911 for a non-life-threatening medical issue such as a sprained ankle.
You would call 5911 if you observe suspicious activity of some kind.
If there is any doubt in your mind, trust your instincts and make the 911 call.
Now we will discuss fire safety and evacuations.
If a fire is small, you may use a fire extinguisher after calling 911.
Also, remember that fire extinguishers can be a lifesaving tool when used to put distance between you and the fire so that you can evacuate.
We will now watch a quick video demonstrating the proper use of fire extinguishers.
Alert before using a fire extinguisher. Ensure that someone notifies the fire department.
Alerts others about the fire. Begins evacuating others from the premises.
Fire extinguishers are for controlling small fires before they have a chance to spread.
Before using one, make sure that you have a clear escape.
You are familiar with the operating instructions of the fire extinguisher, and that the fire extinguisher you have is suitable for the fire you’re facing.
Before using the extinguisher on a fire, look at the fire class symbols on the front label to make sure the extinguisher you have is suitable for the type of fire you’re facing.
Most common classes of fires are A, B, C, and K class A fires involve common combustibles like wood, paper, and tires.
Class B fires involve flammable liquids like gasoline and petroleum oil.
Class C ratings involve energized equipment for things that are plugged in like appliances, computers, televisions, and electric machinery.
Class K fires involve cooking oils and greases like vegetable fats.
Once you’ve determined that the extinguisher is the correct type for the hazard, proceed.
To operate the extinguisher, us the PASS technique to control and extinguish the fire.
First, hold the extinguisher upright and pull the pin. Next, stand 8 to 10ft from the fire and aim the nozzle at the base of the fire.
Do not get too close or aim the nozzle too high.
Once the nozzle is aimed at the base of the fire, squeeze the levers together to begin discharge of the fire extinguishing agent.
Maintain your distance from the fire and sweep the nozzle from side to side, sweeping 3 to 6in beyond the right and left edges of the fire.
Discharge the extinguisher until the contents are exhausted to prevent re-ignition.
Move around the fire to confirm it is completely extinguished.
Your quick action can save lives and protect property using the fire extinguisher properly is only one part of a fire safety plan.
For more information and training videos, go to www.femalifesafety.org
Most fire extinguishers you will find on campus are ABC extinguishers, which means you can use these on small fires in residential spaces.
Remember, you should only attempt to extinguish a fire if it starts in your immediate area, and it is small and contained.
Don’t ever fight a fire. Your escape path could become blocked while you’re doing so.
In this case, you must evacuate immediately. Pull the fire alarm as you exit and call 911 from a safe location.
It is critical that you treat all building alarms as if there is a real fire.
Do not be complacent when you hear a building alarm.
The hazard to you may not be the actual fire, but it is the smoke that can so quickly overtake a space.
Do not backtrack or change your path to grab belongings.
If needed, you will leave your belongings behind. Once you’ve exited the building, go directly to your building’s muster point.
Muster points are identified in building emergency action plans,
which are posted on the emergency site of the college’s website or are posted inside the building near the exits.
Now we are going to switch from fire safety to another potential emergency situation, one that we hope never occurs here.
But we must be prepared for active threat, or sometimes called active shooter.
In designing an active threat preparedness program for our community, we thoughtfully weighed the benefits of providing necessary information in a realistic way against possibly offending the viewer.
This topic can be disturbing, and in a moment, we will view a video that depicts active shooter scenes.
If viewing this video causes you to feel stress or discomfort, we encourage you to seek assistance from college departments that can help you cope with the information you learn today.
These support resources include the Employee and Family Assistance Program, made possible by the Human Resources Department and the Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life.
The Department of Homeland Security defines an active threat as an individual actively
engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area.
Active threat is commonly called active shooter or armed threat, and while these terms are interchangeable.
Middlebury College uses the term active threat in our protocols and alerts.
The victim of an active threat is generally chosen at random.
Active threat situations are usually unpredictable and evolve quickly.
The event is often over before law enforcement arrives.
This is why it’s critical that you are prepared, even if you believe the shooter is targeting another individual.
You must act to protect yourself. Even though there was a low probability of an active threat on our campus, it can happen.
Every community believes it couldn’t happen to them.
It’s our responsibility to make sure that this community is prepared, even though the probability is low.
We’re next going to watch a 5.5-minute-long video called run, hide, Fight surviving an active shooter event.
This video is a Department of Homeland Security funded program produced by the City of Houston and is being shown with permission.
It may feel like just another day at the office. But occasionally life feels more like an action movie than reality.
The authorities are working hard to protect you and to protect our public spaces.
But sometimes bad people do bad things.
Their motivations are different. The warning signs may vary.
But the devastating effects are the same. And unfortunately, you need to be prepared for the worst.
If you were ever to find yourself in the middle of an active shooter event, your survival may depend on whether or not you have a plan.
The plan doesn’t have to be complicated. There are three things you could do that make a difference.
Run. Hide. fight.
First and foremost, if you can get out, do, always try and escape or evacuate, even when others insist on staying.
Encourage others to leave with you, but don’t let them slow you down with indecision.
Remember what’s important, you. Not your stuff. Leave your belongings behind and try to find a way to get out safely.
Trying to get yourself out of harm’s way needs to be your number one priority.
Once you are out of the line of fire. Try to prevent others from walking into the danger zone and call 911.
If you can’t get out safely, you need to find a place to hide.
Act quickly and quietly. Try to secure your hiding place the best you can.
Turn out lights and if possible, remember to lock doors.
Silence, ringer and vibration mode on yourself.
And if you can’t find a safe room or closet, try to conceal yourself behind large objects that may protect you.
Do your best to remain quiet and calm.
As a last resort.
If your life is at risk, whether you are alone or working together as a group, fight back with aggression, improvised weapons.
Disarm him and commit to taking the shooter down.
No matter what. Try to be aware of your environment.
Always have an exit plan.
Know that in an incident like this, victims are generally chosen randomly.
The event is unpredictable and may evolve quickly.
The first responders on the scene are not there to evacuate or tend to the injured.
They are well trained and are there to stop the shooter.
Your actions can make a difference for your safety and survival.
Be aware and be prepared. And if you find yourself facing an active shooter, there are three key things you need to remember to survive.
Run! Hide! Fight!
In addition to helping you survive this type of threat on campus, the information in this video can be applied anywhere.
These key principles can be applied at home or at a grocery store, restaurant, shopping center, or any other public place.
An important part of emergency preparedness is to be proactive.
If you observe worrisome behavior or suspect that a potentially dangerous situation is developing.
Speak up. If you are wrong, no harm is done.
But if you are right, you could potentially avert a tragedy.
Violence prevention depends on all of us. Contact the Threat Assessment Team if you are concerned about someone’s behavior.
You can access the contact info for the Threat Assessment team members on the Emergency response page.
Let’s take a quick look at how you can quickly find this information from Middlebury’s homepage.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and select emergency on the emergency response page.
You will find information for the Threat Assessment Team with an active link for a listing of team members, including their email addresses and phone numbers.
Now remember, if there is an immediate threat, such as someone with a weapon or some violent act occurring, call 911 directly.
When calling 911, you must always stay on the line unless the dispatcher instructs you otherwise.
If you are unable to speak, simply dial 911 and leave the line open.
It is important that you know that U.S. wireless carriers are required to support 911 text messaging.
So, from any location in Vermont, you can send a text message to 911 for emergency help.
It is critical to know that texting should only be used as a last resort, and only when a voice call 911 is not an option.
An active threat is one of the rare exceptions, where texting 911 may be necessary instead of a voice call.
The primary reason a voice call to 911 is preferred is because voice calls enable the 911 operator to determine your location.
Texting 911 does not support this capability.
If you find that you must text 911.
It is very important that you provide the location and the nature of the emergency, and the very first message that you send.
Abbreviation and slang that you may normally use in text messaging should never be used when texting 911.
If you would like to review Middlebury’s Active Threat Protocol or any other emergency protocols, you can visit the emergency response page.
Remember that the quick way to get there is to access the emergency link from the bottom of Middlebury’s homepage.
You may also use a go shortcut. go/er/
Select emergency situations. What to do
The college has an Emergency Procedures Quick Reference Guide, which instructs you on what to do in a variety of emergencies.
This guide is posted on the college’s Emergency Response web page and also is posted throughout campus, including classrooms and residential spaces.
If you have specific questions about emergency preparedness on campus, please contact the Environmental Health and Safety Office or the Department of Public Safety.
Thank you for viewing this important session.
Students
Emergency Preparedness for Students training
Emergency Preparedness for Students
Welcome to Middlebury and welcome to the Emergency Preparedness Training.
This session is an education and preparedness program for Middlebury College students.
The college’s Emergency Operations Plan is a multi-hazard emergency plan that will guide the college’s emergency response to any type of emergency.
The operations plan is supported by three emergency teams.
Crisis Management Team. The Emergency Management Team and the Threat Assessment Management Teams.
Crisis management team is the smaller team made up of senior leadership.
The crisis management team oversees the other two teams and is responsible for policy and decision making during an emergency.
The Emergency Management Team is the larger team made up of staff members responsible for operational management during an emergency.
The Threat Assessment and Management team is trained in evaluating behavior that may pose a threat to our community, and in determining the appropriate response.
Team members are trained in emergency response and participate annually in an exercise that simulates an emergency.
This exercise tests the emergency plan and the skills of the team members.
The third component is the Emergency Notification System, or ENS
In the event of an emergency, the college would activate the ENS to communicate with the community.
Middlebury’s emergency notification system includes the Rave messaging system and MiddAlert.net website.
The rave messaging system allows the college to simultaneously send alerts to the community via text, phone and email.
These alerts are identified as MiddAlerts.
These alerts are designed to be brief but instructional.
Informing the community of the most immediate steps to be taken in an emergency.
MiddAlert.net displays emergency messages directly on the Middlebury homepage.
Clicking on the message will bring you to the MiddAlert page.
This page is hosted by Google and is independent of the college’s IT infrastructure.
This is where our community will be directed for detailed information in the event of an emergency.
Part of emergency preparedness is conducting a risk assessment.
Risk assessments take into account the probability of an event occurring, as well as the consequences of having such an event occur.
Examples of some higher probability emergencies that have occurred at Middlebury and may occur again are fires, weather related events, illness or pandemic, and extended utility outages.
One scenario that has a much lower probability of occurring is an active threat situation, also called armed threat or active shooter.
Although there is a low probability of active threat occurring in our community, the consequences of such an event are severe.
Therefore, preparedness for this threat is essential.
An important part of emergency preparedness is having your own personal safety plan.
Everyone should have a personal safety plan.
This will ensure that you will be able to stay calm in an emergency, because you will feel prepared.
It is important that you’re familiar with the resources that are available to you.
The college has protocols for many emergency situations, and these can be found on Middlebury’s Emergency Response web page.
Let’s take a quick tour so that you are comfortable locating this information.
One way to get to the emergency response page is to go to the bottom toolbar of Middlebury’s homepage and click on emergency.
On this emergency response page, the link stating what to do brings you to a list of active links with protocols for what to do in different emergencies.
Each of you on occasion should review these protocols so that they are familiar to you.
Back on this main emergency response page you will also find information about each of the emergency teams that were referred to earlier.
As previously mentioned,
Rave is an emergency notification system that will be used to send a message to college community members in the event of an emergency.
It is critical that you keep your cell phone number up to date and banner web in order to receive text messages and cell calls from the system.
Let’s take a quick look at how you update your cell phone number in banner web.
When you log in to Banner Web, you will see this main page.
The link you are looking for is Personal Information.
When you click on personal information, you are looking for the link that states update cell phone for emergency communications.
It is on this page where you can view and update your cell phone number.
Let’s take a look at that one more time. Remember from the main banner web page, click on Personal Information and on the Personal Information page, click on Update Cell phone for emergency communications.
While you are in Banner web, you should also click the link.
Update emergency contacts.
This page allows you to add, update and view the names of people who could be contacted in the case you are involved in an emergency at the college.
As part of your personal safety plan.
You should also know where the exits and emergency equipment are located, in the areas where you live, where you work, and where you spend your time.
Always be aware of two ways out.
The primary exit is the one that is closest, and that gets you to the outside air as quickly as possible.
However, what if that exit were blocked? Always be aware of a backup or secondary exit.
When you go back to your living space or your work areas take the time to locate fire extinguishers, fire alarms, pull stations and medical supplies, including first aid kits and automated external defibrillators, also known as AEDs.
The college has over 20 AEDs located across campus in common areas.
Finally, you should program your cell phones with the public safety phone numbers.
The public safety emergency number is (802) 443-5911, and from any campus phone, you can simply dial the extension 5911.
If you have a non-emergency or if you need to speak with someone in the department,
please use Public Safety’s non-emergency number (802) 443-5133 or dial 5133 from any campus phone.
It is important that you understand when to make a 911 call directly, versus when you should be using the public safety emergency number.
For all life-threatening emergencies, you should immediately dial 911.
If you need outside response from the fire department, the police or medical responders.
You should call 911 immediately. For example, call 911 if you observe fire or smoke.
In this case, you should also be activating the fire alarm pull station as you exit the building.
Call 911 directly if medical attention is needed immediately.
For example, in the case of a cardiac arrest or some traumatic injury.
You would call 911. If you observe an act of violence occurring, or if you see someone carrying a weapon on campus.
You would call public safety using the (802) 443-5911 emergency number for urgent issues where outside emergency response is not needed immediately.
For example, you could call 5911 for a non-life-threatening medical issue such as a sprained ankle.
You would also call 5911 if you observe suspicious activity of some kind.
If there’s any doubt in your mind, trust your instincts and make the call.
Now we will discuss fire safety and evacuations.
If a fire is small, you may use a fire extinguisher after calling 911.
Also, remember that fire extinguishers can be a lifesaving tool when used to put distance between you and the fire so that you can evacuate.
We will now watch a quick video demonstrating the proper use of fire extinguishers.
Alert before using a fire extinguisher. Ensure that someone notifies the fire department.
Alerts others about the fire. Begins evacuating others from the premises.
Fire extinguishers are for controlling small fires before. They have a chance to spread.
Before using one, make sure that you have a clear escape. You are familiar with the operating instructions of the fire extinguisher, and that the fire extinguisher you have is suitable for the fire you’re facing.
Before using the extinguisher on a fire, look at the fire class symbols on the front label to make sure the extinguisher you have is suitable for the type of fire you’re facing.
Most common classes of fires are A, B, C, and K class A fires involve common combustibles like wood, paper, and tires.
Class B fires involve flammable liquids like gasoline and petroleum oil.
Class C ratings involve energized equipment or things that are plugged in like appliances, computers, televisions, and electric machinery.
Class K fires involve cooking oils and greases like vegetable fats.
Once you’ve determined that the extinguisher is the correct type for the hazard, proceed
To operate the extinguisher using the PASS technique to control and extinguish the fire.
First, hold the extinguisher upright and pull the pin.
Next, stand 8 to 10ft from the fire and aim the nozzle at the base of the fire.
Do not get too close or aim the nozzle too high.
Once the nozzles aim at the base of the fire, squeeze the levers together to begin discharge of the fire extinguishing agent.
Maintain your distance from the fire and sweep the nozzle from side to side, sweeping 3 to 6in beyond the right and left edges of the fire.
Discharge the extinguisher until the contents are exhausted to prevent re-ignition.
Move around the fire to confirm it is completely extinguished. Your quick action can save lives and protect property.
Using the fire extinguisher properly is only one part of a fire safety plan.
For more information and training videos, go to www.femalifesafety.org
Most fire extinguishers you will find on campus are A, B and C extinguishers, which means you can use these on small fires in residential spaces.
Remember, you should only attempt to extinguish a fire if it starts in your immediate area, and it is small and contained.
Don’t ever fight a fire if your escape path could become blocked while you’re doing so.
In this case, you must evacuate immediately.
Pull the fire alarm as you exit and call 911 from a safe location.
It is critical that you treat all building alarms as if there was a real fire.
Do not be complacent when you hear a building alarm.
The hazard to you may not be the actual fire, but it is the smoke that can so quickly overtake a space.
Do not backtrack or change your path to grab belongings.
If needed, you will leave your belongings behind. Once you’ve exited the building, go directly to your building’s muster point.
You should talk to your residential life staff to find out where your building’s muster point is.
We cannot stress enough how important it is that you comply with all building alarms.
In fact, you should be aware that there is a college issued fine to any student who fails to leave a building during a fire alarm,
or who reenters before it is safe to do so.
Building alarms save lives.
Let’s talk for a moment about evacuation safety.
Before opening any door in an alarm situation, use the back of your hand to see if it is hot, if it is hot, the fire could be nearby.
Leave the door closed, stuff towels or clothes in the cracks and open a window.
Try exiting through another exit if one is available.
If the door is not hot, open it cautiously, but be prepared to close it quickly if necessary.
In a smoke-filled area, keep low to the floor to escape the smoke.
If you encounter smoke in a hall or stairway, consider using another exit.
Do not use elevators.
This is why it is so important for you to always know two ways out of a building, in the case that your primary exit is blocked.
Call 911 if you are aware of any occupants remaining inside who need assistance exiting because of limited mobility, injury, or incapacitation.
If any of you were thinking that residence hall fires are uncommon and happen elsewhere, we want you to know that Middlebury has experienced a number of residential fires in recent years.
Regardless of the cause of the fire, any fire can quickly spread out of control.
Tampering with fire safety or life safety equipment is prohibited.
Fire and life safety equipment includes fire alarms, extinguishers, hydrants, smoke detectors and smoke detector batteries, carbon monoxide detectors and sprinklers.
The college has a sophisticated and reliable fire alarm and suppression system in the residential spaces however, these systems cannot function properly when tampered with.
We’d like to show you recent examples from this campus a fire detectors and sprinkler heads that were disabled due to tampering.
In the first image, we have a sock covering a sprinkler head.
Next, this photo shows a shower cap covering a smoke detector.
In the third, we have an incident which involved a t-shirt disabling a detector, and we also have a globe from another light fully covering a detector.
This type of tampering poses a danger not only to the residents of the room, but to everyone living in the building.
If a fire occurs, there will be a significant delay in it being detected, extinguished and the building alarm sounding.
Fire safety equipment can only save lives when they are working.
Fire safety rules are detailed in the Student Life residential policies.
One way you can access these policies is by going to a go shortcut go/handbook.
You must review the residential policies in detail, which contain fire safety requirements and prohibited items.
Failure to comply with these important policies can result in disciplinary action and fines.
We’d like to highlight some of the requirements.
Smoking is prohibited in all residential halls, including the small houses.
Other fire safety violations include possession of candles, incense, halogen lamps, appliances with exposed heating elements, and string lights.
Nothing may be hung from ceilings or from sprinkler apparatus, which includes the sprinkler heads and the pipes.
Exits and hallways must be kept clear of any items or obstructions.
Now we are going to switch from fire safety to discuss another potential emergency situation active threat.
Before we do so, we’d like to acknowledge that this topic can be disturbing to many of us.
In a few minutes, we will be viewing a video which has violent scenes and disturbing content.
In designing an active threat preparedness program for our community, we thoughtfully weighed the benefits of providing necessary information in a realistic way against offending the sensibilities of viewers
During the viewing of the video, you may find yourself experiencing symptoms of stress.
Your heart may race, your palms may sweat.
You may simply feel anxious.
We encourage you to seek assistance from these campus departments if you need help coping with the information you learn today.
These support resources include the Center for Health and Wellness, your Residential Life Staff, Care Management, and the Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life.
The Department of Homeland Security defines an active threat as an individual actively
engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area.
Active threat is commonly called active shooter or armed threat.
The victims of an active threat are generally chosen at random.
Active threat situations are usually unpredictable and evolve quickly.
The event is often over before law enforcement arrives this is why it’s critical that you are prepared.
Even if you believe the shooter is targeting another individual.
You must act to protect yourself.
Even though there is a low probability of an active threat on our campus it can happen, every community believes it couldn’t happen to them.
It’s our responsibility to make sure that this community is prepared even though the probability is low.
We’re next going to watch a 5.5-minute video called Run, Hide, Fight, Surviving an Active shooter Event.
This video is a Department of Homeland Security funded project produced by the City of Houston and is being shown with permission.
It may feel like just another day at the office. But occasionally life feels more like an action movie than reality.
The authorities are working hard to protect you and to protect our public spaces.
But sometimes bad people do bad things.
Their motivations are different.
The warning signs may vary.
But the devastating effects are the same. And unfortunately, you need to be prepared for the worst.
If you were ever to find yourself in the middle of an active shooter event, your survival may depend on whether or not you have a plan.
The plan doesn’t have to be complicated.
There are three things you could do that make a difference.
Run. Hide. Fight.
First and foremost, if you can get out, do, always try and escape or evacuate, even when others insist on staying.
Encourage others to leave with you, but don’t let them slow you down with indecision.
Remember what’s important to you. Not your stuff. Leave your belongings behind and try to find a way to get out safely.
Trying to get yourself out of harm’s way needs to be your number one priority.
Hey, once you’re out of the line of fire, try to prevent others from walking into the danger zone and call 911.
If you can’t get out safely, you need to find a place to hide.
Act quickly and quietly. Try to secure your hiding place the best you can.
Turn out lights and if possible, remember to lock doors.
Silence your ringer and vibration mode on your cellphone.
And if you can’t find a safe room or closet, try to conceal yourself behind large objects that may protect you.
Do your best to remain quiet and calm.
As a last resort, if your life is at risk, whether you are alone or working together as a group.
Fight, act with aggression and improvised weapons.
Disarm him and commit to taking the shooter down no matter what.
Try to be aware of your environment.
Always have an exit plan.
Know that in an incident like this, victims are generally chosen randomly.
The event is unpredictable and may evolve quickly.
The first responders on the scene are not there to evacuate or tend to the injured.
They are well trained and are there to stop the shooter.
Your actions can make a difference for your safety and survival.
Be aware and be prepared, and if you find yourself facing an active shooter, there are three key things you need to remember to survive.
Run! Hide! Fight!
In addition to helping you survive this type of threat, information in this video can be applied anywhere.
These key principles can be applied at home or at a grocery store, in a shopping center, or any other public place.
An important part of emergency preparedness is to be proactive.
If you observe worrisome behavior or suspect that a potentially dangerous situation is developing.
Speak up, if you are wrong, no harm is done.
But if you are right, you could potentially avert a tragedy.
Violence prevention depends on all of us.
Contact the Threat Assessment Team if you are concerned about someone’s behavior.
You can access the contact info for the Threat Assessment Team members on the Middlebury homepage.
Let’s take a quick look at how you can find this information on Middlebury’s homepage.
On the emergency response page, you will find information for the Threat Assessment team and an active link that will take you to the Public Safety Threat Assessment site.
Now remember, if there is an immediate threat, such as someone with a weapon or some violent act occurring, call 911 directly.
When calling 911, you must always stay on the line unless the dispatcher instructs you otherwise.
If you are unable to speak, simply dial 911 and leave the line open.
It is important that you know that U.S. wireless carriers are required to support 911 text messaging, so from any location in Vermont, you can send a text message to 911 for emergency help.
It is critical to know that texting should only be used as a last resort, and only when a voice call to 911 is not an option.
An active threat is one of the rare situations where a text to 911 may be necessary instead of a voice call.
The primary reason a voice call to 911 is preferred is because voice calls enable the 911 operator to determine your location.
Texting 911 does not support this capability.
If you find you must text 911, it is very important that you provide the location and the nature of the emergency in the very first message that you send.
Abbreviations and slang that you may normally use in text messaging should never be used when texting.
This includes slang or nicknames for locations or buildings throughout campus.
If you would like to review Middlebury’s Active Threat Protocol or any other emergency protocols, you can visit the Emergency Response page.
Remember that the quick way to get there is to go to the bottom toolbar of Middlebury’s homepage and click on emergency.
You may also use a go shortcut. go/er, select emergency situations, What to do.
If you have questions about emergency preparedness on campus, please contact Peter Brown,
the Emergency Management Coordinator, at (802) 443-5996 or via email Peterb@middlebury.edu
Thank you for watching this presentation and be safe.